How to Sell Your Expertise & Build Your Business! January 31, 2008

How can I expand my business locally and beyond? How can I tap into regional, statewide or even national business? How can I reach the world? Sound too far fetched for your business? It’s not. Not in this day and age of digital media. Now you too can create some buzz around you and your business. All you have to do is you’re your knowledge. You know, that stuff in your head you’ve been accumulating and perfecting for years now. That stuff.

This is a Big Dogz strategy that you’ll find few businesses taking advantage of. It’s both a shame and a waste of intellectual capital or expertise…whatever you want to call it.

In between completing the blog series that I’ve already started on account sales management, sales metrics, and beating a recession, I’m going to throw in ways you can leverage your expertise to create more business opportunities and more marketing buzz. Remember, marketing ‘buzz’ are those viral types of marketing that don’t cost a lot of money but can pay direct and indirect business dividends.

1. YouTube Yourself

There’s nothing but good news here. First, YouTube, now wholly owned by Google, is commonly known as the place to see all kinds of short videos on an amazing amount of subjects. Yes, there are many stupid ones but a whole lot of really good or fun ones too.

Increasingly, business owners are finding out that a short, 10-minute or less video posted on YouTube can open the world to them and their expertise. It’s a completely inexpensive way to display some of your expertise to the world. What could you talk about or show in a short YouTube video? I thought about that and came up with a few ideas for all kinds of businesses:

To make your posting effective, you’ll have to promote the location of your YouTube videos in all of your sales, marketing, and networking efforts. Make sure you reference them in your emails, flyers, brochures, and even your business card. Do you part to be sure locals can find your video postings. Make sure you direct YouTube visitors back to your website. YouTube is a free way to get additional exposure for you and your expertise. Oh, and you might just do more business along the way!